I is for Italy

I've never been Italy but I have paid for three trips to Italy.

All three of my children studied Italian at High School. The eldest one even went onto do a major in Italian at University. Every two years their school runs a three week immersion experience in Italy. The two girls went in their year 10 year and the boy this year when he was in year 11.  I've had to enjoy Italy vicariously through the thousands of photos they bought home with them.

Italy as seen by the eldest daughter in a surprisingly sunny November / December 2006. Ten days of touring: Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Rome, Pisa, Florence and a 10 day home stay in Venice living in Dosoduro and attending school. Playing local not tourist in one of the great tourist hotspots of the world.

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi

 

Christmas Lights in Sorrento

Pompeii

Eldest daughter somewhere on the Amalfi coast

Roman Forum

Colosseum

 

Leaning tower of Pisa

Florence

Florence

Venice at night

Christmas tree on Murano. Made from Murano glass

The middle daughter went in November / December 2008 and the weather was more what you would expect with rain and snow. Her tour began in Venice and went in the opposite order, finishing with a home stay in a little mountain village called Spinete. I've only included a few photos here as the most of scenic highlights have already been covered.

Aqua Alta (High water) in Venice

Rome from the top of St Peter's Basilica

Mel at the Trevi Fountain

Ice skating on her home stay

The boy went in September / October this year, a glorious time of year, late Summer heading into Autumn. He came home with a tan and he bought home about 1000 photos, with about 100 of them being of all the marvellous food he ate. (Teenage boys are slightly controlled by their stomachs). When I asked them all where they would like to go back too Venice was the top of all their lists. The boy took some memorable black and white shots of  Venice. So he gets to finish this photo tribute to Italy.